In capable hands: doctors in Germany

Germany's top doctors in various fields are highly respected all over the world because of the research and clinical trials that they carry out. Working closely with other doctors in specialist networks, they guarantee the best standard of care based on the latest medical findings and in all areas of medicine.

Diabetes and its secondary diseases can be prevented – or at least recognised early to enable optimum treatment – through regular check-ups, remote monitoring by tele-medics and the use of behavioural therapies. At-risk patients stand to benefit most from this.

Around 20 per cent of all adult Germans have acid reflux every day; another 40 per cent suffer from it occasionally. Heartburn is a widespread condition triggered mainly by food that is too rich and greasy and by excessive consumption of alcohol and nicotine. Usually classified as harmless, heartburn can have severe consequences including, in the worst case, cancer. If malignant tumours are found early, they can be treated and cured using endoscopic methods.

Cardiovascular procedures can save lives in a gentle way and are also becoming increasingly important in aesthetic correction. Professor Kolvenbach is Senior Consultant at the Cardiovascular Centre of the Augusta Hospital in the Düsseldorf Catholic Hospital Group (VKKD). Professor Kolvenbach and his team offer the full spectrum of modern cardiovascular surgery, from routine procedures to the replacement of entire major arteries, and all incorporating the latest advancements in modern medicine.

Adiposity, or clinical obesity, is a lifestyle disease affecting increasing numbers of people worldwide. Obese patients often find it difficult to live a normal life, have a severely limited quality of life and find themselves under increasing mental strain.

The Centre for Base of Skull and Spinal Surgery at the Vivantes Hospital in Friedrichshain, Berlin, which is headed up by Professor Dag Moskopp, offers a broad range of neurosurgical diagnostics and therapies. Neurosurgery is a relatively new discipline that involves close collaboration with other fields of medicine as many physical disorders are also manifested in the central nervous system.

High blood pressure isnʼt painful as such, but it does increase the risk of strokes and serious cardiovascular diseases. In Germany, it is a problem for around half of all people aged over 60, and occurs in younger people as well. We asked Professor Dietrich Andresen, Senior Cardiology Consultant at the Vivantes Hospital am Urban in Berlin, to tell us more about this subject.